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Running or fixed

Terry Harman

Terry Harman

Senior Member & Supporter
How many of you use a running lead for your barbel fishing or do you use a fixed lead and what is the reasoning behind it
was having a conversation today with Richard Issac’s about rigs ..and it dawned on me that I only really use a running lead when barbel fishing but couldn’t think of a reason why 🤔🤔 thinking about it there are many situations where a safe fixed lead would be better
 
Always running, so the fish doesn,t feel any resistance, whereas, a fixed/bolt rig, as soon as it knows, it lets go. just my method of thinking. As usual, i'm probably wrong. 😁
 
Hi men ,

After watching barbel in tap clear water I switched over to a leadclip system. On a few occasions watching them make a mistake and bolting off we see the lead dragged across the bottom sliding up the line and getting caught in the rocky bottom of the Teme . Although we landed the fish we actually had to pull the fish back like it was on a pulley and the lead freed itself . With the clip the lead raised up in the water following the barbel away for the substrate, and with the advantage of hours watching them feeding and getting bites we never went back .

It also helped when fishing PVA bags , which we almost always did , as it never caused the separation on the cast that a running rig can give .

Hatter
 
Always running rig, simply because I don't fully trust fixed/semi fixed rig is really going to fall off. I know people may say it is safe or I didn't do it in the right way etc, and I may catch less fish because of this, but I just want to make sure it is safe to the fish.
 
Huanzhou Zhu said:
Always running rig, simply because I don't fully trust fixed/semi fixed rig is really going to fall off. I know people may say it is safe or I didn't do it in the right way etc, and I may catch less fish because of this, but I just want to make sure it is safe to the fish.
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But what if the lead on a running rig snags how does that come off?
 
The Korum system is safe just as long as the tail rubber is not pushed too tight over the lead clip. I prefer to use as light a lead as I can and for me a couple of swan shots will outfish any heavy lead.
 
Mark Anderson said:
Hi men ,

After watching barbel in tap clear water I switched over to a leadclip system. On a few occasions watching them make a mistake and bolting off we see the lead dragged across the bottom sliding up the line and getting caught in the rocky bottom of the Teme . Although we landed the fish we actually had to pull the fish back like it was on a pulley and the lead freed itself . With the clip the lead raised up in the water following the barbel away for the substrate, and with the advantage of hours watching them feeding and getting bites we never went back .

It also helped when fishing PVA bags , which we almost always did , as it never caused the separation on the cast that a running rig can give .

Hatter
Click to expand...
Hatter, I always use running leads and usually with a pva mesh bag. I use a bag clip attached to the lead. The knot on the bag pushes in to this, then the hook is nicked into the other end of the bag. This stops the separation problem and removed all risk of tangles.
 
These days the only ‘fixed’ leads I use for barbel are on the end of helicopter rigs.

The lead is attached with a plastic ‘c’ clip that will open out well before the (heavy) mainline breaks.

The rest (most) of the time I fish running leads. If I was worried about the lead getting snagged then I would use a similar system to lose the lead - a ‘c’ clip, a short ‘rotten bottom’ or even attach the lead with a bit of twisted wire or paper clip…..there is also the option of ‘drop off’ inline leads as used by carp anglers. I do like inline leads.
 
Nearly always fish running with a running backstop around 6-12 inches up the line , this helps with debri and sets the hook .
just my thinking , lost very few fish last year and every hookhold needed forceps . Best of both worlds ? Maybe ..
 
Running rig every time ,the korum ones are excellent .
Dont use bolt rigs .years ago I used a loop rig ,which had the lead running between the loop,but acted like a bolt rig .
Only problem was that if the main line snapped ,it would leave the lead trailing ,so dont use that any more.
 
All those that are using running leads what is the reasoning behind that ?
because on reflection I’m starting to think that a fixed lead system would have far better hooking capabilities
 
I use both
For snag fishing or close to cover I use a helicopter rig with a short hooklength (6-8”) and a heavy lead for a bolt effect
Used in conjunction with a PVA sock and clip it is perfect for days when you need to fish tight to cover whilst minimising the potential for the hooklength hanging up
If the fish are in the flow I use a running rig
Nowadays I use float stops either side of the feeder bead so I can easily convert from running to semi- fixed and also adjust the distance from the feeder to the bait depending on how they are reacting
I use a twizzled boom section and then hooklength is loop to loop
Works brilliantly with heavier lines even though it’s a match feeder set-up
Rarely if ever tangles
 
Derek Funcks said:
Always running, so the fish doesn,t feel any resistance, whereas, a fixed/bolt rig, as soon as it knows, it lets go. just my method of thinking. As usual, i'm probably wrong. 😁
Click to expand...
If your using buried baits Derek I can see a lot of sense and great logic in what you do and why 👍🏻
 
Terry Harman said:
All those that are using running leads what is the reasoning behind that ?
because on reflection I’m starting to think that a fixed lead system would have far better hooking capabilities
Click to expand...
For me I’ve never noticed a difference in a fixed lead hooking anything better than a running lead with barbel.
I’ve used both and with a hair rig they both seem to work fine regarding hook ups

For me it’s fixed because It casts better especially under arm and i know it’s sitting on the riverbed exactly the distance I set them apart without having to tighten up and drag my baited hook.
 
Hi men

I used these , designed for fish other than carp , smaller and more discreet. We have had times where after landing the fish we have found the lead has ejected for some reason which can only be a good thing . As I say after many years stalking in tap clear water we could experiment.

Screenshot_20230415-101711.png


Hatter
 
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